Calamos Advisors LLC Grows Position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI)

Calamos Advisors LLC increased its position in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 88.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,504,264 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 705,861 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $34,598,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 195.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 244,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,122,000 after buying an additional 161,634 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 4.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 33,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,128,000 after acquiring an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Albertsons Companies by 6.6% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,023,813 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,043,000 after acquiring an additional 63,822 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Albertsons Companies by 18.3% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 8,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,360 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $207,000. 71.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ACI traded up $0.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $20.46. 2,074,762 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,465,126. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $20.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.19. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.88 and a 52-week high of $23.88. The company has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.74, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.50.

Albertsons Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is currently 20.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $27.25 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Friday, January 12th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on Albertsons Companies from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.85.

Albertsons Companies Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company's food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.